Apparatus for applying decalcomania

Claim 2

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING AT LEAST TWO DECALS TO A PIECE OF WARE IN A SINGLE DECAL TRANSFER STEP; SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING; FIRST MEANS FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF DECALS, SAID FIRST MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO STORAGE BINS; SECOND MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY HOLDING AT LEAST TWO PRESELECTIVELY SHAPED DECALS IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE PIECE OF WARE TO BE DECORATED, SAID SECOND MEANS INCLUDING A RESILIENT POROUS DECAL SEATING SURFACE FOR SAID DECALS, AND VACUUM MEANS FOR APPLYING A REDUCED PRESSURE BEHIND SAID POROUS DECAL SEATING SURFACE; THIRD MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING SAID DECALS FROM SAID FIRST MEANS TO SAID SECOND MEANS, SAID THIRD MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO PICK-UP HEADS ALIGNED ABOVE SAID STACKS OF DECALS, SUCTION MEANS APPLIED TO SAID PICK-UP HEADS FOR TRANSFERRING THE TOP-MOST DECAL FROM EACH OF SAID STACKS TO A RESPECTIVE PICK-UP SURFACE, POSITION CHANGE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PICK-UP HEADS BETWEEN AN INITIAL POSITION ABOVE SAID STACKS AND A FINAL POSITION ABOVE SAID SECOND MEANS, AND PICK-UP HEAD MOVEMENT MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PICK-UP HEADS INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SECOND MEANS, SAID PICK-UP HEAD MOVEMENT MEANS INCLUDING DRIVE MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY MOVING SAID PICK-UP HEADS BETWEEN POSITIONS IN A COMMON PLANE AND POSITIONS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID POROUS SEATING SURFACE; FOURTH MEANS FOR HOLDING THE PIECE OF WARE TO BE DECORATED IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO ONE MEANS; AND FIFTH MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FOURTH MEANS AND SAID SECOND MEANS INTO DECAL TRANSFER POSITION WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER WHEREBY SAID DECALS MAY BE SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSFERRED FROM SAID SECOND MEANS TO SAID PIECE OF WARE.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said decals are arcuately shaped and cooperate to establish an annular design ring around said piece of ware decorated thereby, and further wherein said storage bins are arranged along the circumference of a circle chosen in relationship to the diameter of said design ring.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said pick-up heads each has a pick-up surface at least as large as the area of said arcuately shaped decals, said heads being aligned along the circumference of said circle above said stacks of decals.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said third means includes suction means for holding said decals as they are transferred from said first means to a decal seating surface of said second means, and fUrther including suction means control means for deactivating said suction means after said third means brings said decals into contact with said porous seating surface.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said piece of ware is in engagement with said porous seating surface of said second means when said fourth means and said second means are in decal transfer position with respect to one another; and further including vacuum means control means for deactivating said vacuum means after said piece of ware is in engagement with said porous seating surface.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said porous seating surface has an external configuration matched to the interior configuration of the piece of ware to be decorated.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second means includes first and second porous seating surfaces positioned at opposite ends of a rotatable support member; and further including control means for rotating said support member a predetermined amount after said third means brings said decals into contact with one of said first and second seating surfaces.

Claim 9

Apparatus for applying at least two decals to a piece of ware including a flat central section and angularly oriented lip portion extending peripherally thereabout in a single decal transfer step, said decal comprising arcuately shaped decals which cooperate to establish an annular design ring around said piece of ware; said apparatus comprising: first means for holding a supply of decals, said first means comprising at least two storage bins arranged with respect to one another, to store stacks of said arcuately shaped decals along the circumference of a circle chosen in relationship to the diameter of said design ring; second means for temporarily holding at least two preselectively shaped decals in a predetermined position with respect to the piece of ware to be decorated, said second means including a resilient porous decal seating surface for said decals, and further including vacuum means for applying reduced pressure behind said porous seating decal surface, said porous seating surface being frustroconical in shape, and including a flat central portion and a peripheral side portion angularly tapered to match the angular orientation of said lip portion of said piece of ware; third means for transferring said decals from said first means to said second means, said third means comprising at least two pick-up heads aligned above said stacks of decals, suction means applied to said pick-up heads for transferring the top most decals from each of said stacks to a respective pick-up surface, position change means for moving said pick-up heads between an initial position above said stacks and a final position above said second means, pick-up movement means for moving said pick-up heads into contact with said second means, and suction means control means for deactivating said suction means after said pick-up head movement means has moved said pick-up heads into contact with said porous seating surface, said pick-up head movement means including driving means for moving said pick-up heads between positions in a common plane and positions in engagement with said angularly tapered side portion of said frustroconically shaped porous seating surface; fourth means for holding the piece of ware to be decorated in a predetermined position with respect to said second means; and fifth means for moving said fourth means and said second means into decal transfer position with respect to one another whereby said decals may be simultaneously transferred from said second means to said piece of ware.

Claim 10

Apparatus for applying at least two decals to a piece of ware including a flat central section and angularly oriented lip portion extending peripherally thereabout in a single decal transfer step, said decal comprising arcuately shaped decals which cooperate to establish an annular design ring around said piece of ware; said apparatus comprising: first means for holding a supply of decals, said first means comprising at least two storage bins arranged with respect to one another, to store stacks of said arcuately shaped decals along the circumference of a circle chosen in relationship to the diameter of said design ring; second means for temporarily holding at least two preselectively shaped decals in a predetermined position with respect to the piece of ware to be decorated, said second means including a resilient porous decal seating surface for said decals, and further including vacuum means for applying reduced pressure behind said porous seating decal surface, said porous seating surface being frustroconical in shape, and including a flat central portion and a peripheral side portion angularly tapered to match the angular orientation of said lip portion of said piece of ware; third means for transferring said decals from said first means to said second means, said third means comprising at least two pick-up heads aligned above said stacks of decals, suction means applied to said pick-up heads for transferring the top most decals from each of said stacks to a respective pick-up surface, position change means for moving said pick-up heads between an initial position above said stacks and a final position above said second means, pick-up movement means for moving said pick-up heads into contact with said second means, and suction means control means for deactivating said suction means after said pick-up head movement means has moved said pick-up heads into contact with said porous seating surface, said pick-up head movement means including driving means for moving said pick-up heads between positions in a common plane and positions in engagement with said angularly tapered side portion of said frustroconically shaped porous seating surface; fourth means for holding the piece of ware to be decorated in a predetermined position with respect to said second means; and fifth means for moving said fourth means and said second means into decal transfer position with respect to one another whereby said decals may be simultaneously transferred from said second means to said piece of ware.